Tuesday 15 September 2015

DAY 10 - STEM CELL HARVEST

Well - results are in!!   2.01MILLION stem cells have been successfully removed from my body, ready for a good cleansing before being reintroduced to my body sometime next week!!

I am so excited !!  Sometimes the 'harvest' can take 2 days (which is normal) but I said to Dr F that I was going to do it in one and BOOM.  1 day baby! 

I was hooked up to the machine from 7.30 until 1.30pm so 6 LONG hours!! I pretty much just dozed the whole time until the last hour when I watched some TV...it was fine.

I got really tingly lips, hands and feet (which is normal) and while that didn't feel great, it was fine in the big scheme of things!!

Once I had finished, they gave me half an hour to go to the loo (Amen) and eat my breakie, then steroid infusion and done.

I was sitting out in the lounge when Dr F came to find me to let me know the magic number!  2.01M is absolutely fine (2.0M is required).  I think I may have shed a tear I was that happy!  He is so gracious - saying I did all the 'hard work' and laughing about my efficiency hang ups!  Competitive much?

As a 'reward' I have had Vlad the Impaler (thanks Princess) taken out of my neck for a night.  They will insert the next line (for the chemo) tomorrow but I think that's all tomorrow will entail.  I said to Dr F that I feel good and I'm happy to just keep going but he has said the usual protocol is to start chemo Friday...D'oh!  Couple of chill days coming up (which of course is fine). 

I think there was a bit of 'trouble' starting the harvest to be honest.  The machine was set up next to my bed and seemed to be working fine but then it kept beeping (with a little red man flashing at my eye level) and everyone was in looking at it.  They'd adjust things, leave...come back....look...adjust...smile at me and give me the thumbs up....leave...come back.

After about 1.5 hours Dr F moved the machine to the ground so my blood didn't have to flow 'up' to the machine and from then - everything was super smooth!  It was amazing to watch the 3 different bags fill - 1 with platelets; 1 with blood; 1 with stem cells...fascinating!  (I think that's right )!

So that's me done for the day - stem cells OUT; neck line OUT...another tick on the page!

Got my daughter's school photo's sent through today and she was full of chatter tonight so that was great....sad....great!  I think she's as addicted to facebook as me .... poor love is going to be devastated when she loses it in 3 weeks when I'm home!!! 

Oh - and joy amongst joys - I didn't have to make use of the ADULT NAPPY that we are required to wear .... anyone that has spent anytime with me with attest that THIS is a miracle in it's own right!  6 hours with no wee stop...now that's a win in anyone's books!

Feeling GREAT.  Thanking God, prayers, rain dances, candles, thoughts, positive vibes, fist pumps, raised glasses etc!!  Mwahhhhh!

No comments:

Post a Comment